First American-made humanoid debuts alongside Melania Trump at White House summit

US First Lady Melania Trump on Wednesday hosted a high-level education and technology summit at the White House, drawing global attention for a humanoid robot that walked alongside her during the event.

The black-and-white robot, identified as Figure 03, accompanied the First Lady through the venue, greeting attendees in multiple languages and waving to the audience.

“Figure 03, thank you for joining me,” Melania Trump said. “It’s fair to state you are my first American-made humanoid guest in the White House.”

Footage of the event quickly circulated online, sparking debate about the future of artificial intelligence, though initial attention focused less on the developers than the machine itself.

Figure 03 was created by Figure AI, a firm in the fast-growing humanoid robotics sector, which has raised over Sh129bn ($1 billion) from investors including Nvidia and LG Technology Ventures.

Founder Brett Adcock described the robot’s appearance as “history as the first humanoid robot in the White House.”

Standing about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 135 pounds, Figure 03 is an autonomous assistant designed to perform domestic tasks.

Equipped with hand cameras and tactile sensors, it can identify and interact with objects, as demonstrated by the company performing tasks such as loading dishwashers and folding laundry. The robot operates on Figure AI’s Helix system, which combines vision, language, and action to interpret its environment and execute commands.

The summit centred on AI’s role in education and its potential to transform learning and employment. It also drew First Ladies and senior officials from around the world, including Kenya’s Rachel Ruto, who attended following an invitation from her US counterpart.

The “Fostering the Future Together” summit, hosted by the White House and the US State Department, is part of a global initiative launched in 2025 to expand access to digital learning while safeguarding young users online.